Kyoto 2145


"So, I've been meaning to ask you something. Do you remember the first time we met?"

The doctor frowned. "Indeed I do, Ms Sato. For a master race, you humans are not particularly adept in the area of memory. Your memories are self-serving things. They recall only what benefits you and each time you recall them, you edit them, for your own benefit, yet again. Those you enslave remember things more carefully. We are obliged to."

Hoshi listened carefully to all of this - she listened carefully to everything - but outwardly chose to ignore most of it. "So you remember that I came to you with broken fingers. I remember you set them, healed the bones, but also that they hurt for days afterwards, weeks even. I didn't think anything of it, at the time. But I've just had a letter from a cousin of mine. She was injured in an insurgent bombing. Lost one leg and shattered the other. Now the thing is, that she said that after it was set, her broken leg hurt barely at all. And I was wondering how that could be, given that MY fingers hurt for days?"

"You are still very young, Ms Sato," the doctor replied calmly. "For all your architecturally styled eyebrows and your exactingly toned abdominal muscles, you do not yet quite understand the world in which you live. See, this school administers pain as a teaching aid. Now, it is supposed that poorly set bones would lessen your future career possibilities, dexterous fingers having a variety of uses in your future profession. So the school wishes your bones set. Now, the PAIN however, the pain and the lessons it teaches you, IS presumed to be of future use to you. I earned my position at this school because I pioneered a technique to heal fractures while not diminishing the periosteal pain curve experienced as a result of those fractures. I've since enhanced it to increase the pain experienced over a normal fracture. Quite ingenious if I do say so myself."

"Oh, ingenious, I'm sure," Hoshi laughed. "Torturing school girls is what gets you stiff, is it? Hardly the most original fetish."

But the doctor shook his head. "Oh no, my dear. The schoolgirls are irrelevant. The pain is the thing. My life's passion has been teasing out the differences between pain and harm, and what that could mean in a universe such as this. The ultimate prize is a machine that can inflict extreme agonies and yet cause no physical harm at all. Harming the mind but not the body. The ultimate exercise in dualism. And I've made much progress, given my sadly inadequate facilities."

It was as if all the gods and goddesses were smiling down on Hoshi at this moment. It was just what she needed. "It occurs to me, Doctor, that I might be in a position to benefit you enormously. As you will be aware, I am looking for a patron, and the best one currently in the market is a military man. An Admiral Maxwell Forrest. I'll be attending a function in two days' time with the hope of securing this contract. Now, one might think that the military would be even more willing than a boarding school to invest in torture research. So, if I were to bring your research to the attention of Admiral Forrest..."

"Out of the goodness of your heart?"

Hoshi laughed. "Well, let's just say, that my ability to influence Admiral Forrest will depend upon my selection as his consort. Unfortunately, Hinata - you know Hinata?- is also in the running. If, however, Hinata were to suddenly come down with say, a flesh-eating bacteria before tomorrow evening, then I have no doubt I will find myself in a position to get you transferred to the Imperial Forces, and a lab befitting your talent. So I suppose we shall just have to both hope that something horrible befalls Hinata, won't we?"

The doctor smiled. "And so the world turns, Ms Sato."